The Proposal
by cojack
Summary: A/TP. Archer and T'Pol discuss the details of the planned simulation to deceive Degra during the Season Three episode "Stratagem".
DISCLAIMER: It's Paramount's galaxy.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: A/TP. Archer and T'Pol discuss the details of the planned simulation to deceive Degra during the Season Three episode "Stratagem".

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THE PROPOSAL

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 _Enterprise_ 's command staff was assembled in the situation room at the back of the bridge. Captain Archer stood at the head of the console and faced his six senior officers. After eight long months in the Expanse, they were finally making progress in discovering the location of the Xindi superweapon. In fact, just a few days earlier they witnessed the destructive power of the improved prototype. _Enterprise_ was now in the debris field of the destroyed moon in the Xindi proving grounds, and it was here while investigating the aftermath of the test that they had scored a break – the capture of the weapon's designer Degra and his crew.

"I've built flight simulators for Starfleet training. This wouldn't be that different," Commander Tucker commented.

Lieutenant Reed wasn't convinced it would be that easy. "It's not simply a matter of constructing a shuttle, it has to be designed. What species built it, what language would the control interface use."

"Hoshi can help with that," Captain Archer interjected and turned to his communications officer. She had been pouring over what information they could salvage from Degra's ship.

"I've recovered a letter Degra wrote to his wife a few months ago," Ensign Sato stated. "Her name's Naara. They have two children." Archer nodded. That information would be helpful. Degra seemed particularly devoted to his wife and family. That might be an angle they could use.

Their plan was ambitious. An attempt to fool Degra into believing years had passed and the Xindi superweapon had already deployed and destroyed Earth. In the simulation, they would have to convince Degra that the various Xindi factions had then turned on each other and Degra was now a prisoner like Archer escaping from an insectoid controlled planet. With any luck, they could tease out of him the actual location of where the superweapon was being constructed.

"It may be necessary to communicate with you while you're inside the simulator," Commander T'Pol commented.

"The MACOs use subdermal transceivers," Reed suggested.

Phlox nodded. "They're relatively easy to implant," he said. Phlox was also confident he could erase the most recent memory engrams of Degra and those in the brig. Although he developed the procedure using a scan of a Xindi reptilian, the neuro-physiology of the Xindi primates and apparently all Xindi species were essentially identical. The ability to alter Degra's memory would be essential in getting the deception to work.

Whatever they did, they would have to do it fast. Likely Degra's absence would soon be discovered and a ship dispatched to investigate. Archer was satisfied with the basic outline of the plan. There was risk in any mission, but they needed to determine the location of the Xindi superweapon and attempt to destroy it. Degra had that information, and Archer was determined to get it by any means necessary. "Let's get started," he said, adjourning the meeting. As the rest moved off to attend to their various preparations, Archer turned to his Vulcan first officer. "T'Pol, I could use your help with some of the details."

"Details?" T'Pol inquired.

"If he buys into this, Degra's going to want to know everything that's happened in the last three years. I can't make up the whole story on the spot."

T'Pol nodded. That was logical. Captain Archer pressed the entry button and the door to his ready room slid open and the two of them stepped inside. Archer took a seat behind his desk while T'Pol sat in her usual spot across from him. Aside from his quarters, the Captain spent a great deal of time in this room. T'Pol as well. The office retained a strong scent of his presence, along with that of his canine pet Porthos, but T'Pol had long become accustomed to it. "I believe our strategy of exploiting the inherent distrust between the Xindi species is sound," T'Pol began. "Lieutenant Reed's suggestion of using our recordings of the insectoid patrol ships to generate a simulated attack on the shuttle implies they will be the main antagonists."

Archer nodded. "Malcom and Hoshi are working on the shuttle and its backstory. I like our initial setup where Degra and I will have just recently escaped from an insectoid prison. How can we make that more convincing?"

T'Pol considered this. "Ensign Sato has been working with the insectoid written language and has deciphered their numerical system. Perhaps the doctor can brand each of you with a numerical tattoo. There are instances of this practice for prisoners on many planets. It would provide a connection between the two of you and would bolster the notion of the insectoid's animosity towards other Xindi species."

"I'll ask Phlox if there's something he can do that wouldn't be permanent," Archer added. "Perhaps the doctor has some other ideas regarding what the insectoids might have done to us during our incarceration." He pursed his lips in thought. "So we're thinking of a three year gap."

T'Pol nodded. "Short enough to be plausible his family still resides in the same system where the weapon was constructed, but not too short such that a bond that has supposedly formed between the two of you would seem unlikely."

"The context of his letter does imply his family is with him at the construction site. I suppose if we're both imprisoned for the whole time, we don't have to have too much detail of what has happened in the interim outside of the prison camp."

"Agreed. We should fabricate only the events that happened at the beginning that led to your incarceration and a timeline of what happened in the prison itself."

"We'll say the insectoids betrayed the other Xindi species after the weapon was deployed and destroyed Earth. Degra was captured and imprisoned immediately where he became my cell mate and we eventually gained each other's trust."

"I believe that would be sufficient. Then it's a matter of coming up with a timeline during your imprisonment." T'Pol replied and shrugged. "Something along the lines of at first you tried to kill each other, but over time your attitudes changed."

"What about that. Gaining Degra's trust. His family seems to be very important to him. Perhaps we should manufacture a background story with a family for me as well so we have that in common. It would provide a natural link to discovering the location of his family now."

"A wife and family perhaps killed by the Xindi in their attack to also play on his guilt," T'Pol mused further. It was an intriguing idea. A thought from a previous conversation entered her mind. Something the Captain had told her during his recuperation from an accident when the ship encountered an anomaly several months ago. "How about the woman you proposed to the night before you graduated flight school?"

"Margaret Mullin," Archer replied thoughtfully.

"Yes. In our alternative background, perhaps she said yes and the two of you were married and started a family." T'Pol remarked. Her thoughts drifted back to that time in sickbay. She remembered the time of his recuperation fondly. Over the course of several days, she had visited the Captain quite often to brief him on the ship's status, but to also spend time talking about a variety of subjects. Their friendship had become quite natural by then. Of everyone on _Enterprise_ , she felt she could be herself and was most comfortable with the Captain and perhaps Doctor Phlox.

Archer shook his head. "I don't know, it's been twenty years since I've seen her."

"What difference does that make," T'Pol persisted. "You have your experiences with her during flight school to draw upon and we could easily manufacture the necessary supporting material. An image of the two of you and your family for example."

Again Archer shook his head. "I can't imagine the insectoids allowing me to keep such a memento." He didn't appear to like the idea.

For some reason T'Pol found herself also dissatisfied with the notion of Captain Archer being married, even as she suggested it. Since she began her Trellium-D injections, she discovered she possessed a higher awareness to various emotions, and she definitely felt something now. Could it be jealousy? That was absurd, considering the marriage in question was fictitious and only part of the proposed ruse. Besides, who was she to have such feelings? She was engaged herself to Koss back on Vulcan since the age of seven. Like it or not, a situation that would not resolve itself anytime soon. Her only recourse might be the _koon-ut-kal-if-fee_ , but that rite was hardly ever practiced any more, and besides, who would she select as a challenger? Jonathan? She involuntarily shook her head, and then glanced at the Captain to ascertain if he noticed. He was apparently thinking something over and had turned to look out the porthole at the debris field outside. T'Pol returned to her own thoughts. She had never given her betrothal much thought before. Arranged marriages on Vulcan were still the normal practice, with procreation and societal stability the motivating objective. Conjugal love would naturally develop within the marriage as the couple grew closer, and with it, the associated mental bond. It seemed a creditable arrangement since the instances of divorce on Vulcan were essentially nonexistent. And yet, her long association with humans highlighted the advantages of being able to choose your own mate.

Granted, Earth customs with regard to marriage were more varied and indeterminate. Not all humans made logical choices and more often than not skipped a marriage ceremony all together before acting as a married couple. They trusted in their emotions and made ill-suited matches based on superficial attraction. As a result, throughout much of Earth's history, marriages suffered. The majority of Earth marriages and pseudo-marriages dissolved prematurely regardless of how it affected the couple or any offspring from the union. However, all that considered, there were still many examples of couples on Earth whom T'Pol had met while working at the Vulcan Consulate who showed true intimacy and devotion to one another and their children. Perhaps they even exhibited a deeper connection than Vulcans for they had to work harder at it without the benefit of a mental bond. It occurred to her that it was that sort of marriage she desired. Might it one day be possible? Couldn't a society's values be structured to ensure lasting marriages that were also chosen by the couples themselves? Her thoughts returned to Captain Archer. Did she really have feelings for him in that way?

T'Pol then noticed Captain Archer was again facing her. Was he waiting for her to say something? "What do you have in mind?" she queried.

"I think it should be someone I know better," he suggested. "Someone where I could come across as convincing. What if you and I were married? And you were tragically killed along with the rest of the _Enterprise_ crew when the weapon was supposedly deployed."

T'Pol's heart skipped a beat, but she was able to successfully suppress the emotions the Captain's comment elicited. It was clear her mental discipline was more tenuous than before entering the Expanse and it was harder to keep her emotions in check, possibly due again to the Trellium-D. A two-edged sword. It made interaction with the rest of the human crew easier, but also exposed her to unaccustomed feelings from time to time. Perhaps it was time to lower the frequency she used Trellium-D. She waited a moment before responding. "Having a family would thus seem out of the question."

"Our family could be back on Earth and they were killed with everyone else, or perhaps they're on Vulcan," Archer responded. "Perhaps their fate is unknown to me, as the fate of Degra's family will be unknown to him in the simulation."

That wasn't exactly what T'Pol had meant. She felt compelled to clarify. "I mean," she continued. "It is not certain a human and Vulcan could conceive and have children together."

Archer seemed to consider this. In T'Pol's imagination, he was feeling a similar remorse as she was at the prospect. Yet another unfamiliar emotion. Was it possible he had feelings for her as well? Of course, she knew the Captain cared for her as a friend. In human parlance, they were perhaps best friends, drawn together by their positions on _Enterprise_ and their shared experiences in the Expanse. But did he care for her in a romantic sense? "We could talk to Phlox," Archer persisted. "Perhaps some sort of medical intervention would be possible."

T'Pol raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want to talk to the doctor about the feasibility of the two of us having children?" Archer laughed and for a second T'Pol almost considered laughing as well. "I'm uncertain what sort of rumors would start amongst the crew if the two of us were to then be married in this simulation we are planning," she added dubiously.

Archer nodded slowly and T'Pol distinctly noticed a hint of disappointment on his face behind the amusement. "I suppose you're right," he eventually said.

"In this matter, I think it best to stick to the truth," T'Pol replied. "Your career in Star Fleet prevented you from marrying and starting a family." Ironically much the same way she was using her career to avoid her marriage to Koss.

Archer looked up thoughtfully. "Hopefully, that won't always be the case."

T'Pol wasn't quite sure how to answer that comment. What exactly was he proposing? The Star Fleet regulations were clear about fraternization with subordinates. For the captain of a starship, that pertained to the entire crew, including the first officer. Perhaps especially the first officer. There was a definite mutual attraction, that much couldn't be denied, but paradoxically, in order to remain close, they had to stay apart.

Before she could consider these thoughts further, he interrupted and changed the subject. "Let's talk through the specifics of the time spent in the prison, come up with some other details I could share with Degra."

T'Pol was relieved to move on to another subject. As the Captain said, perhaps it wouldn't always be the case… but for now, it was.

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THE END

Author's Note: There were several Season Three episodes I just recently viewed for the first time, and this one stood out. Excellent episode, and it provides an opportunity to write a "behind the scenes" fanfiction that isn't an alternative universe or takes place after the series finale. Some of my favorite A/TP "behind the scenes" stories are from Laura Schiller – "Only Vulcan", "Friction" and "Someone To Trust", to name a few.


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